Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burkina Faso and the United States

For one person, living is cheaper in Burkina Faso: $1,158 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Burkina Faso
United States
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
$1,158
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,734
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burkina Faso and in the United States

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burkina Faso and in the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,158 per month in Burkina Faso vs $2,734 in the United States, rent included.

  • Burkina Faso $1,158
  • United States $2,734

A couple spends around $1,909 per month in Burkina Faso vs $3,985 in the United States, rent included.

  • Burkina Faso $1,909
  • United States $3,985

A family of three spends $2,659 per month in Burkina Faso vs $5,235 in the United States, rent included.

  • Burkina Faso $2,659
  • United States $5,235

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Burkina Faso ($1,158–$1,158), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Burkina Faso is roughly 58% lower than in the United States on average.

Burkina Faso sits 15% below the global median, while the United States is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.03 F CFA 4,144
$20.03 $20.03
-64.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.85 F CFA 15.2K
$80.0 $80.0
-67.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.33 F CFA 4,317
$11.80 $11.80
-37.88%
Cappuccino
$1.95 F CFA 1,148
$5.55 $5.55
-64.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 F CFA 628
$2.66 $2.66
-59.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 F CFA 650
$2.17 $2.17
-49.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.17 F CFA 688
$6.12 $6.12
-80.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 F CFA 1,487
$7.94 $7.94
-68.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 F CFA 1,197
$1.04 $1.04
95.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 F CFA 667
$3.59 $3.59
-68.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 F CFA 493
$4.52 $4.52
-81.42%
Eggs
$2.57 F CFA 1,514
$4.28 $4.28
-39.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.90 F CFA 9,952
$13.22 $13.22
27.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.04 F CFA 11.8K
$12.60 $12.60
59.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.67 F CFA 8,639
$17.60 $17.60
-16.65%
Apples (1kg)
$4.62 F CFA 2,724
$5.30 $5.30
-12.83%
Banana (1kg)
-
$1.69 $1.69
-
Oranges (1kg)
$3.36 F CFA 1,979
$4.44 $4.44
-24.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.84 F CFA 2,265
$4.77 $4.77
-19.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 F CFA 903
$2.97 $2.97
-48.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 F CFA 1,030
$3.15 $3.15
-44.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 F CFA 735
$2.20 $2.20
-43.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 F CFA 749
$2.35 $2.35
-45.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.28 F CFA 756
$10.98 $10.98
-88.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.92 F CFA 3,487
$15.05 $15.05
-60.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 F CFA 816
$2.06 $2.06
-32.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 F CFA 1,535
$3.79 $3.79
-31.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 F CFA 101
$1.94 $1.94
-91.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$59.4 $59.4
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 F CFA 311
$3.58 $3.58
-85.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 F CFA 492
$1.88 $1.88
-55.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.35 F CFA 4,918
$29.84 $29.84
-72.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 F CFA 846
$1.02 $1.02
41.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K F CFA 16.8M
$28.8K $28.8K
-1.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K F CFA 18.2M
$26.2K $26.2K
17.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$176 F CFA 103.7K
$218 $218
-19.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.41 F CFA 15.0K
$62.5 $62.5
-59.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.0 F CFA 31.2K
$74.5 $74.5
-28.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.6 F CFA 34.5K
$41.86 $41.86
40.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.28 F CFA 4,878
$22.81 $22.81
-63.70%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 F CFA 3,984
$14.70 $14.70
-54.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$33.67 F CFA 19.8K
$1,489 $1,489
-97.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,023 F CFA 3.5M
$25.3K $25.3K
-76.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.77 F CFA 19.9K
$54.3 $54.3
-37.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.1 F CFA 30.1K
$42.71 $42.71
19.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.3 F CFA 50.3K
$94.1 $94.1
-9.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 F CFA 60.7K
$114 $114
-9.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$339 F CFA 199.6K
$1,659 $1,659
-79.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$234 F CFA 137.7K
$1,348 $1,348
-82.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 F CFA 781.9K
$2,682 $2,682
-50.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$745 F CFA 439.1K
$2,169 $2,169
-65.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$866 F CFA 510.3K
$3,283 $3,283
-73.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$252 F CFA 148.5K
$2,482 $2,482
-89.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Burkina Faso
United States
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$578 F CFA 340.7K
$4,296 $4,296
-86.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
6.55
83.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Burkina Faso: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Burkina Faso
$348 *
United States
$415 19.3% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Burkina Faso
$255
United States
$355 39.4% $100
Accommodation & Living
Burkina Faso
$234
United States
$1.3K 476% $1.1K
Clothing & Footwear
Burkina Faso
$123
United States
$137 11.5% $14
Eating Out
Burkina Faso
$121
United States
$328 171% $207
Sport & Entertainment
Burkina Faso
$72
United States
$71 1.2% $0.9
Getting Around
Burkina Faso
$5.4 *
United States
$80 1387% $75

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $337 in Burkina Faso vs $1,620 in the United States. For reference, capital cities sit at $337 in Ouagadougou and $2,768 in Washington, DC.

Average salary: $607 in Burkina Faso vs $4,549 in the United States. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 381% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 200% more in the United States.

Salaries are about 7.5 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
🇺🇸 United States
🕒 Local time
09:31 9:31 AM
05:31 5:31 AM
4 h behind Burkina Faso
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,025,776
340,110,988
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Burkina Faso United States 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Burkina Faso
  • United States

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Burkina Faso vs United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burkina Faso more expensive than the United States?
Burkina Faso is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 58% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $337 in Burkina Faso.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget in Burkina Faso or in the United States?
$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Burkina Faso, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Burkina Faso or to the United States?
Burkina Faso is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Burkina Faso vs other spots: cost of living compared

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